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My journey and how I got to decide on Dr. Konior Started losing hair roughly 10 years ago around the age of 23. Finasteride worked really well but had to stop due to sides. Now I only use Nizoral/Minox but I don't think those are helping. Initially I decided to go with Dr. Diep but after reading @jimcraig152's post here and searching through other Diep's topics, I decided to shop around a little more and settled on Konior. Luckily due to Covid there was a cancellation very soon after I contacted him, so it all worked out. Day of procedure Got there at 6:30 am, filled out some paperwork and ordered the lunch (Jimmy John's) and then from 7am until about 8am we talked about the hairline and my plans etc. The procedure started around 8am-ish. I was given Valium so I slept through a huge part of the procedure. At 1pm they finished the harvesting and I got lunch, and then they continued implanting the grafts until around 7:30pm. I was able to drive myself home after the procedure (had to sign the waiver). Below you can see the pics from before the procedure (6am-ish that day), one with my hair buzzed and the hairline drawn and also two pics after the procedure. I will keep updating this thread as the time passes. -
After speaking with Dr. Konior and Dr. Nadimi this weekend, Dr. Konior mentioned a study conducted by Dr. Ron Shapiro, an elite surgeon who actually kick started this community by performing surgery on @Pat - Community Publisher the study concludes that patients who start off with FUT first and combine FUE get more lifetime grafts than either technique alone. I thought it was pretty interesting, especially for those interested in maximizing donor supply. https://www.ishrs-htforum.org/content/htfi/29/5/local/front-matter.pdf- 55 replies
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Headed to Chicago in six weeks for a hair transplant from Dr. Konior. For folks who have spent time in Oakbrook after their FUT, any pointers?
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Konior FUT next month
Z-- replied to FUTAug2021's topic in Hair Transplant Experiences and Surgeon Reviews
We have a similar hair loss pattern and I’ve booked a surgery with Dr. Konior for next year, so I’m excited to see your progress! Initial pictures look great; I’m sure it will be a stellar result. -
Hello my fellow Hair Restoration Network patrons (and the man, the myth, the legend Melvin!) , yesterday I had my procedure done with Dr. Luis Nader of Nader Medical in Reynoso, MX. I had a fantastic experience and feel I owe it to this community to share/answer questions about it. Backstory- I first noticed my hairline had changed for the worse when I entered basic training in 2009 at the age of 23, and had my head buzzed down. I started using rogaine, saw palmetto, and nizoral shampoo after I got out of basic a few months later. I believe these 3 slowed my hairloss down to a turtles pace, and at times halted it. I have a mixed bag or hairlines on both sides of my family. I maintained a NW 1.5-2 my entire 30's, which I considered a massive win. I have a background in college and a brief professional career in a sport which resulted in 8 surgeries and pain that I still feel today at 37. I started using Kratom at around 34 for pain management. From everything I had read it was a safe alternative to opiods, etc. I continued to take the Kratom for a little over 2 years before multiple side effects became impossible to ignore ( that's a real rabbit hole ), but my biggest issue was it seemed to speed up my hairloss from a very slow pace to warp speed. I weened myself off said substance and my hairloss stabilized immediately without any further intervention (even thickening up a little). However my hairline and crown took a real beating during this time and a true recovery did not seem to be in the cards without surgical intervention. At this point I went from a NW 2.5 to a NW 3 V which just didn't look good on me anymore. I used some fibers to fill the crown for awhile, but I didnt wan't to have to do this for the rest of my life, and eventually ended up buzzing it down to a 2, then 1, then 0. I look "ok" with it buzzed down, but I tried to live with it for a year and was never happy with it. I did not take finasteride during this period because of what I had read/horror stories on reddit etc, and because I was starting a family in my 30's and wanted to maintain fertility and not have any possible birth defects. Selecting a Surgeon- I like many of you probably know more about hair transplants, the science, and hairloss than I care to admit. I have been researching transplants for 10 years, and consider it one of the subjects that I can speak on with a great deal of knowledge. I seriously enquired with Dr. Konior, Dr. Panine, and Restore Hair Clinic (within an easy driving distance, and 2/3 are very well respected as many of you know). The prices were pretty staggering, and while I could have financially made it work, it would have hurt. I have a career where I make good money, not great. $20k plus is a hard pill to swallow for many of us. From here I started researching on this website, as well as a couple reddit forums. It was through these that I came across Surgery tourism and began investigating Turkey and Mexico. Turkey was out quickly when I broke down the logistics of cost, flight, time, vacation needed off work, etc. I then narrowed down my prospects to HMR (the cortez brothers), Neopal, Dr. Sara Salas, and Nader Medical. I had serious consultations with HMR, Sara, and Nader. I could never get anyone from Neopal to call me back after repeated emails and calls. I found Dr. Sara salas really delightful when we spoke, but her prices were pretty steep for what I was looking for (also endorsed and trained under dr. Wrassman). The Cortez brothers communicated well and the price was what I was thinking, but I didn't love all the hairline photos I saw of their work. By no means am I slamming them, I think they do great work, and am seeing more and more people sharing positive experiences they have had there. Finally I contacted Nader Medical and it felt right almost immediately. The receptionist/liason Brenda is a saint. She answered my endless questions promptly and was extremely professional. Every single person online that has shared their experience with Dr. Nader came away raving about him. They all spoke of how much he genuinely cared, how this was a passion of his, not all about the money, and the results always looked great. I found all of this to be true as well. Dr. Nader was warm, gentle, extremely knowledgeable, and had a very calming presence about him. After many emails, and calls I decided to book my appointment. The actual surgery and details- Flew into McAllen, which is right across the border from Reynoso, MX, where I stayed at the Days Inn by Wyndham. This hotel is a mile and half from the airport, and was a very basic, yet clean hotel room. Some might be a big snobbish to it (it's no 4/5 star), but through the military and sports I have lived/stayed in some absolute shit holes. This was no shit hole. I flew in wednesday afternoon, had the surgery thursday, and am currently in between flights on my way home on friday. Nader arranged for a very friendly guy named Aaron to pick me up from my hotel, take me across the border, and return me home after the surgery. Aaron has a fascinating life story, and was a treat to talk to on the way there and back. I have read all about the cartel and violence in Mexico, but never once did I feel unsafe. I have previously lived in southern Texas, and traveled extensively around the border, as well as been in various parts of mexico, which possibly made me feel more comfortable than someone without those experiences. I arrived at Nader Medical around 8:30 am, filled out a little paperwork, then proceeded to sit down with Dr. Nader and talk all about my hairloss journey, life, what I wanted, etc. It was a wonderful convo and lasted well over an hour. I wanted a conservative hairline that I could age into well, and my crown addressed. (I started finasteride a month prior to this with zero side effects). We drew multiple hairlines before we got it right. I might add that the facility was very clean, and had a very professional staff of maybe 5 techs. My zones were drawn, head shaved down further, and on to the extraction table for a few hours. They injected lidocaine into my donor area repeatedly, which feels like minor pinches, nothing to worry about. My head was completely numb, and they went to work. After that I was served lunch, with the options being tacos or a chicken salad. I chose the salad and it was very good. From here we moved onto placing the grafts while I watched netflix. I think it took around 3 hours, but I wasn't really keeping track of time, just relaxing and enjoying some netflix. I felt zero pain during this part of my procedure as well. From there I was cleaned up by the tech's, followed by some questions for the Dr, and talk of after care. I literally have zero complaints about my whole experience. I could not have been happier with Dr. Nader, his staff, and his work. I got a picture with the Dr, gave him a hug, and thanked him for everything. He gave me his personal number and we will continue to remain in contact. For those that care, Dr. Nader attended school in the US and Mexico, and speaks perfect english. The driver then took me across the boarder and back to my hotel (zero issues). I purchased a neck pillow prior to this surgery in anticipation for sleeping. It took me a little to find a good position, but eventually I was able to find a comfortable position and actually got some good sleep. I woke up this morning feeling great about my choice to go with Nader. Going through a hair transplant can be an emotional roller coaster, but I felt nothing but happiness and relief. Details of surgery- Total grafts- 2520 Hairline- 1290 Grafts Crown- 1230 Grafts Singles- 221 Doubles- 909 Triples- 1208 4's-217 (Dr noted I had a very good donor area with a bank of 7,000 or so, also commenting on the unusual amount of double and triple grafts I have. People who have cut my hair have always noted how crazy thick the back and sides of my hair are. I guess this finally came in handy! ha Cost- Total Cost was $5,445 US. I used the option for 10% off by bringing a cashiers check for the majority of the cost. Nader will reimburse you for a 2 night hotel stay of up to $250. I'm open to any and all questions, and will eventually post pictures. Thank you to all of you for posting your experiences, it got me through some dark times knowing I wasn't alone. Also thank you to Melvin. I think this guy is awesome. His story, transparency, kindness, and tireless work in this hairloss field has been awesome. I remember being in a very dark place over my hairloss a year or so ago, watching some videos by Melvin, and feeling like there was hope. -
After a virtual consultation and quote of 1500 grafts for frontal hairline repair, underwent said 1500 FUE graft repair with Dr. Nadimi of Chicago Hair Institute. I'm in my mid 20's and as such wanted to be somewhat conservative with hairline but also wished to avoid placement so high as to draw attention. Investigating led me to Chicago Hair Institute, and Dr. Nadimi has had a growing record of excellence and of course Dr. Konior and his practice have for many years had an outstanding reputation. The procedure went smoothly, pain was well controlled following anesthetic injections and staff was friendly and supportive. They are more than happy to follow up with you on subsequent days for cleaning, re-evaluation. I've attached several photos pre and immediately post op. Obviously like any young person I'd have preferred a lower hairline, but being realistic is part of the game. Anyone out there with similar graft counts and post-op pictures/hairline design have their long term results? Picture are: 1/2/3 - pre-op of hairline 4/5/6 - Immediately post-op -
Age 26, Norwood ~3V + retrograde + diffuse thinning (including donor) Medication: dutasteride 0.5mg/day, foam minoxidil 1-2mL/night Hair characteristics: high contrast with skin, fine, straight Cost: 2.15 euros/graft which is a discount from 2.25 euros/graft because I agreed to provide them anonymized photo updates for their own use. Posting this thread is my own choice. Though, I wish clinics would offer discounts for patients to post threads from start to finish. I see nothing wrong with that. Also, I think the price has gone up recently. Hair loss timeline: 18 - Looking back at old pictures, I had signs of thinning at the hairline 20 - Barber mentioned uneven nape, now I know it was the beginning of retrograde. Started noticing loss at the hairline/crown, found out about finasteride and tried to get on it but my awful dermatologist wouldn't prescribe it to me saying my loss wasn't bad enough 22 - Went back to the dermatologist, still wouldn't prescribe finasteride to me (I think because of side effects? don't remember). He instead prescribed topical minoxidil (requires a prescription in Canada) but he didn't make it sound like it was worth it (annoying to apply, need to use it for life), so I never went through with it 24 - Hair was looking awful, finally decided to do something about it - did my own research, went to a different doctor who was not a moron, and got a 5mg finasteride prescription. Quartered that for 6 months. Also started 1mL liquid minoxidil at the same time 25 - Didn't notice any changes after 6 months, seemed to have maintained. Switched from finasteride to dutasteride to keep as much hair as possible. Got a microscope and analyzed my donor, saw greater than average thinning 26 - Seem to have continued to maintain. Switched to foam minoxidil because liquid takes forever to dry Moral of the story - Many doctors are crap. Take medical matters into your own hands and leave nothing to chance. I carried those learnings over to my HT research. Choice of surgeon: I sent the following clinics (in no particular order) pictures/videos of my hair/recipient/donor. The main point of contention between their opinions was regarding the microscopic videos/images of my donor. Hasson - "Dr. Hasson felt there was more miniaturization than the typical 10-15% and therefore a procedure would involve a bit more risk." Wong - "Dr. Wong on the other hand did not believe there was any signs of dupa and would have no reservations performing a procedure." Bhatti - He was concerned, felt that my donor density was quite low and wanted me to get evaluated in person Bloxham - Wasn't concerned, was more interested in if I noticed any changes in my hair, and said a proper in person examination would be in order Konior - Not concerned, said my donor area was about average Bisanga - More miniaturization in the donor than they would like to see for someone my age, and suggested an in-person consultation Ferreira - Said my donor isn't great, but that I'm far from DUPA, and that my prognosis is good Lorenzo - Said I didn't have DUPA but didn't go into any more details. I feel like they may not have seen the microscopic videos. Wish they would have at least acknowledged my weak donor. Tried following up multiple times to get clarity, but they never responded Diep - saw him in person since I was nearby, he said I had 10k+ grafts available in my donor. 'nuff said. Rassman/Bernstein - said I have more thinning than average but not yet DUPA, suggested I wait a few years, but said I could get a small HT Hattingen - said they would not operate on me, suggested I send them yearly updates of my hair loss situation to see if their opinion changes HLC - didn't want to say anything regarding my microscopic videos, said I would need an in-person dermascopy evaluation, but didn't seem too concerned Pekiner - noted the miniaturization but said my donor was good enough and that they select the highest quality grafts At some point, I decided I was mostly interested in clinics where the surgeon does most, if not all the work. I understand the benefit of technicians doing parts of the procedure like extracting/implanting grafts, but I just feel more comfortable knowing that the surgeon is doing all the important aspects of the procedure themselves, and that I can hold them fully accountable. This left me with a few options at the time: Konior, Ferreira, HLC, Pekiner. Ferreira - I couldn't travel to Portugal because of COVID and wanted to see more results Konior - I think he is one of the best, but I was disappointed that he didn't acknowledge the miniaturization in my donor. My guess is he did notice it but that he's confident in his skills/work and doesn't want his patients to overthink things. I'll likely still see him in the future for temple point work or if I need any touch up on the hairline HLC - Didn't like not knowing which doctor would work on you, and the fact that you could have multiple throughout your procedure. Also have seen some cases where I felt the graft count was a bit aggressive for the patient's age. Have heard communication is also an issue Pekiner - I liked the technique, the small number of grafts per day (~1000), the fact that he is conservative and honest with his patients. Liked that he had a lot of patient reviews from start to finish (mostly on the Italian forum). Very experienced with hairline work and liked his hairlines and density (especially needed with my fine hair). Communication with his rep Alex has been very good. Aborting was a concern, but they told me that they now inform the patient of any findings but ultimately let them decide whether to proceed. Given he would select the highest quality grafts available, I was not too concerned. Also knowing that the graft count could be adjusted on the day of procedure (say down to 1500), my mind was more or less at ease. In the end, he said my donor was slightly better than expected. Procedure: Each day lasted from around 8am-5pm. On the first day of procedure, I had a discussion with Dr. Pekiner about my hair loss history and goals. We then took the photos, designed the hairline, and shaved the head. Then we moved on to the actual extraction/implantation. The way it works with Dr. Pekiner, similar to HLC, is you have two sessions of extraction/15min break/implantation per day, AM and then PM. In between these sessions, they have a chef who provides a meal for you (bonus points for catering to a vegan diet - the food was delicious). At the end of each day, they wrap your head in a bandage to protect the grafts/donor. On the third morning, they give you a final clean up and provide you with the aftercare kit including saline spray for the recipient and bepanthol lotion for the donor. 1 hair: 249 2 hairs: 682 3 hairs: 710 4 hairs: 164 Average hairs/graft: 2.43 Recovery: Sleeping - I'm normally a side sleeper, and started practicing to sleep on my back a couple months in advance. I don't think this is necessary, I just wanted to learn to sleep on my back anyway. Regardless, you'll need a travel/neck pillow anyway to make sure you don't turn in your sleep, and I think you'll be tired enough to fall asleep on your back even if you're not used to it. Another recommendation I have is to zip your arms inside a sweater, so you don't damage your grafts in your sleep. I've seen this happen enough times on these forums, even over the past few months, that I didn't want to take any risks. At one point I was very tired and fell asleep without zipping up my arms, and I actually caught myself lightly reaching up and tapping my recipient area as I was waking up. Nothing bad happened, but I was much more cautious the next times I went to bed and ensured that I zipped up my arms each time. Swelling - I noticed swelling mostly on days 3-4, but nothing too bad compared to what I saw online. I just let it pass with time. Pain - No pain for the first week really. From days ~6-10 I had some donor pain when I'd lay down on my pillow, so I'd just take paracetamol 20 mins before going to bed. Crusts/scabs - was instructed to start gentle massaging them starting day 6, increasing intensity with each day. By day 9, pretty much all of them were gone. Redness - I started using aloe vera as I've read that it helps. Haven't noticed too much improvement yet by day 30. The donor is still red but it's harder to see as the hair is growing longer. The recipient is still red, and the shedding is making that more visible. Feel free to ask any questions. I can add some recent photos soon. I'll probably update monthly. -
Picking my 3rd FUE surgeon
aaron1234 replied to Der3k7's topic in Hair Transplant Experiences and Surgeon Reviews
Check out Dr. Konior in Chicago, especially if you're willing to travel. -
Hey all! Decided to make a post here, because I wanted to track my experience from the beginning. I am a soon to be 28 year old and a fairly fit male. I have been on finasteride and minoxidil for around 6 years and attempted to get a HT at age 23, but was turned down due to young age. Now at an older age I decided to just do it! I was told I needed around 1500 grafts for a dense-pack fill. Let me know if you guys have any interest or questions in regards to my story. Note: at the time of my procedure I had just turned 28. i decided last year around September that I was comfortable with getting a procedure done soon. Since I knew that the top doctors had waiting lists up to and over a year I decided to bite the bullet. As an engineer by trade I spent countless hours researching and planning. I had originally wanted to get my procedure done by one of the top doctors in Spain. However, I had visited Spain last October 2019 visiting and the long flight plus the unknowns of recovery in a foreign country did not seem too convincing. I iterated and went with who I felt was the best doctor in North America. I go a little bit in depth with how I choose Konior over other doctors much closer to me in the YouTube video. I posted a lot more background info on myself as well as my history with hair loss among many other things please watch if you are interested. My surgery went amazing and my experience during the planning with Konior was nothing short of amazing. Once again for a more detailed breakdown feel free to watch the videos. Pics: https://ibb.co/q1rZ4Mh https://ibb.co/VqP4ZJWhttps://ibb.co/G9wLcpx -
I began losing my hair in my teens. By the time I finally got to go in for surgery, I had receding temples, and thinning from front to vertex. Thankfully, I had a pretty good donor area to work with, and was referred to Dr. Konior by a relative of mine who found out I was going to go to a "hair mill" and wind up with plugs and intervened, and pointed me to these forums to learn more before undergoing such a major decision. Here are some progress photos for those considering the same. Pre-Transplant front and then styled photos of the crown and front. Styling was key for me for many years, the wax style made such a difference in my hair at least in the frontal areas. Day Zero (Surgery): I received 2,380 grafts about 25% were 3's, 60% were 2's and the rest were singles. All in all, nearly 5,000 hairs. This was in December 2020, the year of the dumpster fire, but something good would come from it, in finally getting this procedure. Day One: Felt pretty good from surgery, my least favorite thing was the dreaded horseshoe from shaving the recipient site. The longer side hair around the donor area was greasy and clumpy from Neosporin, so it not only looked awful, but felt bad too. Aside from this, we were happy with the initial results. Recipient Site, Donor Site (AKA Greasy Horseshoe) Day Four: This was the day I got to fly home from Chicago, they did one final cleaning of me that day and they were nice enough on day three to buzz the rest of the hair and rid me of the Greasy Horseshoe. 10/10 recommend this, your recipient shaved area is going to take a while to grow back so might as well be comfortable as you go and you are way less depressed when looking in the mirror. I actually didn't even wear my loose hat in the airport even though I'd been cleared to, off chance I would be seen by anyone I knew in an airport in another city, more off chance they'd recognize me given the cut and COVID mask, and I had become a little de-sensitized over the five days in Chicago. I actually only wore a hat during the first two weeks for Christmas photos. People really don't care or give much of a look these days. Day Twelve: This is the day I got my stitches removed. Dr. K said that they could have been removed two days prior, and the removing doctor of course agreed and was thankful I didn't wait for my Day 15 appt I had scheduled. However you know Christmas happened and everywhere was closed. Day Twelve was the best I could do. Doctor stated that I had some build up but would go away once I started regular washing rather than being extra careful and probably not doing as good of a job. This day was AMAZING, I came home and showered a little more regularly with the stitches gone, still using gentle touches and lukewarm water temperature. Getting out of this shower felt like a new man. These pictures came the next day as I wanted to wait to let the aggravation from removal go away, as well as get to buzzing the area a little more evenly where it was longer around the stitch site previously. As you can see I still have some crusty scabs in the front taking their time coming off, but they're on their way out and have improved GREATLY. I've been putting aloe on the area since day six and that's really when the scabs started coming off. I've avoided picking at them, mostly I just wipe gently post shower with a dry soft rag, and whatever clumps to it is what comes off for the day, here is the view from the top. Third is a picture that shows the scar as well as no mans land that wasn't cleaned well, between the scar which got good careful shower attention, and the graft zone which got good careful attention, be careful not to neglect this area as I did, as it now gets to get in on the healing party too. Finally we have a closer shot of the bottom of the scar, and one of the more sensitive side terminal of the scar. I will say that day thirteen of these photos is the first day I really reduced the Advil intake from every 4-6 hours to about twice a day. To be continued. -
Konior FUT next month
FUTAug2021 replied to FUTAug2021's topic in Hair Transplant Experiences and Surgeon Reviews
I guess I should provide an update, since I’ve lurked on here for years… I visited Oakbrook late last month for a hair transplant with Dr. Konior and his staff. My experience was similar if not exactly the same to everyone else’s that has been mentioned in these forums. I stayed in the Comfort Suites hotel, it was fine and convenient. Dr. Konior and his staff have been nothing but consummate professionals throughout my transplant and during follow up appointments I imagined that my grafts would only have spanned my frontal third, but I was very satisfied to realize after surgery that Dr. Konior graciously went above and beyond the call of duty, giving me significantly more grafts than I bargained for, and covering way more real estate that I ever imagined for my first surgery. I sadly woke up on day 3 realizing that I dislodged some grafts in my sleep, which was pretty gruesome and left me pretty upset at first, but I was assured that this sometimes happens and a few lost grafts won’t impact my final result. I didn’t document the “before” very well, but I’ll attach a picture of where I am now - day 9, crusts falling out, and very satisfied with a densely packed frontal third, fading back to my crown that has some coverage on it. I am very ready for my sutures to come out, but Tylenol PM before bed is helping me out. I still look in the mirror sort of shocked that there’s now hair existing in places where it hasn’t been since I was a teenager. And even with a few lost grafts in the beginning, I’m very confident that I went to the right place, and the right doctor, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how this will turn out. -
Hair transplant suggestions
JDEE0 replied to Rick_'s topic in Hair Transplant Experiences and Surgeon Reviews
Yeah, your donor and hair characteristics are really good from what I can see. Crown is on its way out though. To be completely honest, I don't think it will have much if any hair left in it by the time you reach your mid 30's. Unless you take meds that is, then you will potentially be able to re-grow it back to a normal thickness and keep it that way for decades. You really should consider it. Read the actual studies, sides are rare, but do exist and go away upon discontinuation according to every placebo controlled study ever carried out on the drug, and according to all medical literature published on the subject. There's really no reason to be scared to at least give it a go in reality. Dr. Lorenzo's website has some good concise information on scientific data relating to finasteride side effects, good place to start and then broaden your understanding by studying other credible sources of info and reading the actual studies in depth - just find the finasteride section here: https://injertocapilar.com/faqs/?lang=en Good attitude budget wise. I'll put it this way, Europe and North America are the two hubs of quality hair transplantation. Both have a small number of doctors who are all very good and offer similar levels of skill and quality, but in general European Dr's are going to be around half the price for the same level of skill. So, whilst it's perfectly reasonable to stay in the U.S., you can get the same level of results for half the cost in Europe. My favourite European Dr's: Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Feriduni, Dr. Lupanzula, Dr. Bruno Pinto, Dr. Rafael De Freitas, Dr. Ximena Vila, Dr. Juan Couto and Dr. Bruno Ferreira. U.S./Canada: Dr. Konior, Hasson and Wong, Dr. Cooley, Dr. Shapiro, Dr. Rahal, True and Dorin (there are more but I'm in the UK so I don't keep too much track of them, others will be of more help for additional options). Do some research and take a look into them. -
Hi all, I have a deposit with Dr. Konior but I am close to a year out. I am closer to Dr. Gabel geographically which makes driving possible and follow ups easier. I also like Dr. Gabel and his approach and the sense of personal attention. (I am sure that is true of Konior as well but being a year out there has not been much interaction other than securing the date). From research I know both are great and Gabel trained under Konior but wanted to just get the thoughts of others on this forum. Money is no issue for such a critical procedure nor is travel if it makes a difference on quality but I am not sure it does at this point. It would be nice to get started without waiting a year. I am between a norwood 3 and 4 with thinner hair overall so naturalness is my top priority. Both surgeons say they can get about 3000 in my first session and will focus on reestablishing my hairline and then subsequent sessions will focus on crown etc. Would value any feedback from this group. Thanks!
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Hi there. First time posting, so let me just say that this is such an awesome community. I have learned a lot on this site over the years, so thank you to all of you who answer questions to those of us trying to make an important decision. I live in NYC and have been thinking about a HT for the past 3-4 years. Over that time, I had consultations with 3 doctors near me (Drs. Wesley, Dorin, and Bernstein). I also had a remote consultation with Dr. Rahal in Canada. I am 46 years old and Norwood 3 and am really focused on trying to restore my hairline and get density in the front and top of my head. It's a balance of having my hairline back, but also wanting it to look natural and appropriate for my age. Here is my take on them and would love to know if others agree/disagree with my assessments and if there are other doctors I should also consider: Dr. Bernstein. Nice guy. Met him 3 years ago. Recommended 1500-2000 grafts and to mostly fill in the front hairline and said that if needed, I could do another procedure down the line. The pictures I saw of his hairlines didn't look very natural to me. They looked like they were almost a straight line, like they were drawn with a ruler, and seemed to lack the single hairs that one would expect in the front. On his website, he now has pictures that show better, more natural hairlines. Maybe he has gotten better? Dr. Wesley. Met him in late 2019 right before the pandemic. He was also recommending a similar number of grafts. I liked him a lot, and I thought his hairlines were better than Bernstein's. Some were excellent. But he was pushing FUT and I sometimes wear my hair short. Dr. Dorin. Also met him in 2019. I didn't like his work. Dr. Rahal. I first spoke to his office in 2020 right before the pandemic. It was less personalized service than the other doctors and was really hard to speak with him. In fairness, I don't happen to live in Canada whereas I am local to the other doctors. Maybe if I lived near Dr. Rahal, my experience would be different. Maybe they get a lot of not-so-serious people and so they are careful on having Dr. Rahal speak to everyone? Anyway, I sent photos and talked to the patient coordinator. She sent me his recommendations. I had to ask a few times if I could speak with him, and I eventually did, but it was almost like I had to really convince them that I needed to speak with this person who might be performing a surgical procedure on me. He recommended 2500 grafts which he said would give me a hairline as well as density. He said I might need another procedure down the line if I had more thinning on top or in the crown area. I initially reached out to Dr. Rahal based on positive reviews here and pictures I had seen of his hairlines (which were really amazing). But the reviews are mostly older threads from a few years back. I know others have posted about this recently (why no new Rahal posts?) and some have pointed out a couple of newer threads where people sing Rahal's praises, but I am concerned there aren't more Rahal patients posting here. My thoughts / questions: 1. Of the group above, who would you say is the one who has better results? The best track record / reputation for great results? 2. Is my experience with Dr. Rahal indicative of how it would be if I were a patient? Is it going to be pretty impersonal across the board? Will I just see him for 5 minutes and then techs will do everything? 3. Since I am willing to travel, are there other doctors I should consider who are outside of my geographic area (but still in North America)? Basically, who else should I consult with? Hasson? Baubac? Konior? Shapriro? Parsa Mohebi? Are there others who are really amazing that I haven't spoken with? Who is on top of their game right now, especially when it comes to hairlines? Thanks so much for your advice. It is greatly appreciated. -
For a while now, i was set on getting a strip procedure, setting myself up to utilize my donor to it’s highest potential (according to many Ht surgeons). I’m a diffused nw 5/6 which is not noticeable with hair grown beyond 1 inch. With hair grown longer + toppik in the frontal zone, i look like i have a full head of hair. However, Having shaved my head down to a number 3 during COVID, i saw the diffused pattern throughout my top + my crown dipping downward similarly to @Zoomster .. This confirms i will be a Norwood 6 as my final pattern once developed over time. This is why i was pretty set on starting with FUT. But as of late, I’ve been seeing more and more advanced Nw patients go the FUE route and the results look good. Between having an above average donor + good beard supply, I’m beginning to lean towards fue even as a future nw6. I currently use minoxidil and topical fin As a preventative. I’m considering Dr Konior & Hasson for FUE, but both have way different approaches. dr. koniors strategy consists of a “density boost” in the frontal hairline of 1500-2000 grafts. He explained he doesn’t feel comfortable grafting at a high density To avoid shock loss. He told me I’d need to come back to readdress the same area in the future once the native hairs fall out, or i could wait til I’m much balder and do a larger procedure grafting at higher densities. Dr Hasson on the other hand recommended 3000 grafts in the frontal third and working into the mid scalp. This would provide a new hairline and dense pack the entire front working through the existing thinning zone. This would future-proof the area so i would not need to return for the same area. I’d only need to return for non transplanted zones in the future like the mid scalp and crown. Does anyone have any opinions on each of these approaches? One sounds conservative and one sounds more aggressive. Ideally I’d like to limit how many times i go in for surgery. And for the record, i am willing to compromise a couple thousand grafts that could be used in the crown by going fue, but with a solid beard this could hopefully makeup for those scalp grafts I’d be giving up
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Well definitely get an in person examination if possible imo. Doesn't have to be the doctor that you want to do your transplant but it's nice to get someone to look at you in person imo. Also create a list. Biggest thing for me was just knowing the doctor has a huge list of guys with my hair type getting restored to a hairline that I wanted to get. Dr. De Freitas had a ton of results all showing me that fixing my hairline would just be a regular day of work for me. Though I strongly considered Dr. Hasson as well and he was a really close second but Dr. De Freitas had a ton of wow results, a lot of results where he worked with guys like me and the cost was almost half of that of Dr. Hasson. Also this probably goes against the advice of the forum (i.e. look at results not the tools) but I liked that De Freitas used implanter pens just cause I thought they were well suited for my hair type. Funnily enough, apparently H&W switched to implanters recently from that recent Konior Q&A. -
I mean everyone is suggesting you go to Europe, while there’s great surgeons in Europe. You can find quality doctors in the US, for example Dr. Gabel Portland, Dr. Mohebi Los Angeles, Dr. Cooley North Carolina, Dr. Konior Chicago. If you don’t want to travel outside of the US, there’s no need too. The US has plenty of options. Use our list as a guide and start from there https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/hair-transplant-surgeons.asp?sr=HRN-MOB
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Hey Guys, I am pleased to announce Dr. Konior has agreed to do an Instagram live with us. We’re set for tomorrow at 9 am PST 11 am CST and 12 noon EST. What questions do you have for one of the world’s best surgeons?
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Drake blames hair loss on Covid
SadMan2021 replied to Melvin- Moderator's topic in Open Hair Loss Topics
Drake has nothing to worry about. He could spend 200k and see Dr. Konior tomorrow if he wanted to. And yes, I absolutely believe anyone with enough money and clout can skip the waitlist. -
This would be my first. I've talked to Dr. Konior so far, he's who suggested the 2000 for the front. I have a few more consultations I'm trying to schedule with others. -
Hi all, Since everyone on this forum has been instrumental in my years of research for the best surgeon for me, I figured I'd pay it back by making this thread about my 3,200 FUT frontal restoration procedure with Dr. Konior. I traveled from Miami to Chicago for the procedure. Dr. Konior initially scheduled me for a 3,000 graft FUT to restore the front hair line and densely pack. He ended up extracting around 3,200. It's only been 48 hours since the procedure, so I don't have any exact counts yet. I'll ask and get the exact numbers and types of grafts (singles, doubles, triples, etc) during my check ups this week. DAY OF SURGERY: I arrived at 6:30AM and quickly began the in-person consult with Dr. Konior. My first impression was exactly why I consider him to be one of the best in the business. We literally spent over an hour discussing the perfect hairline design for me. He tweaked it every few seconds for at least 20 minutes until it was perfect. As others have noted, he's a true perfectionist. I initially was nervous to ask for a slightly more aggressive hairline, but we both agreed on an age appropriate yet significantly lowered hairline that nicely filled in my temples. I promised to stay on finasteride/minoxidil for life (I already have been on moxidil for 4 years, and topical finasteride for 1 uear) so I can at least maintain my native hairs. After the 1 hour consult and agreement on the hairline, it was time to go into the operating room. I was given medication to help me relax and dose off. Every time I woke up, Dr. Konior was right by my side. I don't think he ever left the room except for when I had my own breaks for lunch and bathroom. I was extremely comfortable. Like others have mentioned, the only slightly painful part was the injection of the numbing agent in the donor area. The best part of this entire experience was that there was no rush. We had all day, I was the only patient he was seeing that day, and he did the entire procedure with only minimal help from technicians (based on what I could feel/hear -- my eyes were covered with a gauze). The primary technician has been with him for 27 years. It was a long day. The procedure ended at around 9PM. So, 6:30AM until 9PM. Since the procedure, I've had some discomfort on the incision line (to be expected) but the recipient area doesn't hurt at all. The pain relief meds have definitely helped tons. PRE-OP PHOTOS: PRE-OP HAIRLINE DESIGN POST-OP (between 1-2 days after procedure): I'm pretty swolen, so I'm sure once the swelling goes down so too will the hairline height. Either way, I'm thrilled thus far. You can tell it's really nicely/densely packed. Once I receive the exact numbers I will update the community. Lastly, I just want to say thank you all for sharing your experiences on this forum. I hope to pay it forward with this post and future updates. Now, the waiting game.. -
Looking for good U.S. surgeon for Crown work
aaron1234 replied to JWard's topic in Hair Restoration Questions and Answers
Yes, deep dish pizza is the best! Giordano's, Lou Malnati's, Pequod's.... they're all good! @JWard Looks like you could have your frontal third and hairline revisited as well as your crown. I love what Dr. Konior did for my crown with only 700 grafts so I'd recommend him for that, but of course he could take care of your front too. The question is FUT or FUE for you, and it might just boil down to your preference. Consult with doctors who are equally equipped for both FUT & FUE; e.g. H&W, SMG, Konior, etc. -
His partner, Dr. Nadimi, emailed me. I think it's awkward to say that I want Konior.
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I drove 7 hours to Minneapolis to go to Shapiro Medical Group, and then 15 hours for Dr. Konior last summer. Do what you need to do to go to the best.
